Lakeside Hero (Men Of Millbrook Lake Book 1) (14 page)

Chapter Eighteen

W
hy was it when she was trying so hard to avoid a man, he showed up everywhere?

Marla had seen Alec in church and at the Farmer’s Market. She’d run into him on downtown streets and at various restaurants. And each time she saw him, her heart hurt with the sure knowledge that she was falling for him. But each time, they’d engaged in small talk and awkward moments that only left her confused and dazed. How could she continue to function like this— dejected and defeated, and wishing for something she couldn’t have?

Today, Alec and his three buddies were taking over the badly wilted and half-dead community garden out at the Millbrook Lake Retirement Village. Her father had called her out here, too, with the excuse that the summer sun was killing off what was left of his prized tomato plants.

Or so he’d said.

“What are you doing?” she asked Alec, her gardening gloves held tight to her chest. He looked too good to be digging in a garden. His dark T-shirt showed off his biceps and his smile only reinforced the attraction that zoomed through her like a hummingbird fluttering its wings.

“What do you mean, what am I doing?” His smile held a touch of longing. His amber eyes warmed her hotter than the golden rays of sunshine streaming across the trees.

“I mean, you’re here, in this garden.”

Alec laughed and hit the hoe he’d been carrying against the soft dirt of a long row of ripe tomatoes. “I promised your dad we’d help out with this garden. Rory called me and asked if we’d like to come out today. Apparently, he needs people with the ability to weed out the bad stuff.”

“Unbelievable,” Marla said. She shoved on her gloves and decided to get her work done and get out of here. “I’m a picker. I get to pick all of these ripening tomatoes.”

“We all have to sacrifice,” he quipped with a wink. Then his expression changed to something soft and yielding and open. “How have you been?”

Marla thought about the question while she glared at her smug daddy. Should she tell Alec that sometimes she couldn’t sleep because she was remembering being in his arms? Or that she’d thought about what it would be like to have an open, easy relationship with him? One where her daughter would giggle and look up at Alec with adoring eyes?

“I’ve been okay,” she said. “How about you?”

“Good. Busy.” He glanced to where three other men were getting out of an old Jeep and taking directions from Dipsey. One of them was Preacher Rory Sanderson. “The facility renovations are coming along. We’ve got the main lobby area and the offices ready for the gala. I’ve hired a decorator to make it
festive
.” He grinned and swiped a hand over his clipped hair. “And the dorms are being built, too. The training yard will come next. I can’t wait to show it to you.”

Marla loved the passion she saw in his eyes and she loved that he wanted to show her what he cared about the most. “I’m happy for you. You’ve certainly worked hard to make this a reality.”

“Yes.” He hit the hoe against a few parched weeds and what was left of a bean stalk. “I wanted to ask you something—”

“Hey, man, don’t hold up the row.”

Alec glanced past Marla, impatience in his voice. “Blain, get your own row. I’ve already claimed this one.”

The man whom Alec had spoken to ignored the suggestion and came closer. “Hey,” he said to Marla. “I’m Blain Kent. I came with him, but don’t let that scare you.”

Shocked at his words, Marla glanced from him back to Alec. But the smirk on Alec’s face alleviated her concerns. Man-talk was so different from woman-speak. “Okay,” she said, smiling. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Blain.”

“All good, I’m sure.” Blain’s dark blue eyes looked like midnight diamonds. A real heartbreaker of a guy. And a really dedicated detective, from what Alec had told her.

“All good,” she assured him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you know me, of course.” Rory Sanderson gave Marla a quick hug. “I saw your dad yesterday and he invited me to come and dig in the dirt. I brought a few friends.”

“So I can blame you for this,” Marla said, giving him a mock frown. How could she be mad at a man she admired and appreciated for helping her in her faith struggle?

“Blame away,” Preacher said. “I can handle it.”

She believed that. “Well, I appreciate all of you coming out here on a Sunday afternoon to help clear up what’s left of this garden.”

“And a warm afternoon,” Blain said, wiping at his dark bangs. He motioned to the friend who’d been driving the Jeep. “Looks like Lawson’s gonna finish his row before we ever get started.”

Marla watched as the mysterious Lawson, whom Alec had mentioned, hit his hoe to dirt and slung weeds and old plants as if there was a fire behind him. “He’s very efficient,” she said.

“And Roxie’s doing her part,” Rory pointed out. “She’s digging in the dirt.”

Marla laughed at the cute little poodle following the dark-haired, unsmiling man, who was hurrying up a row of dead lima-bean stalks. “That is the cutest dog I’ve ever seen.”

“Roxie,” Blain said on a whisper. “She’s little, but fierce.”

They talked a little bit more, but soon everyone settled into work. Marla picked what tomatoes she could save and left the rest for Alec to hoe away. The Florida heat and humidity made having a summer garden a hard task, but her daddy knew all of the planting seasons and planted accordingly. Soon, he’d have a fall garden going in this same spot.

“Where’s Gabby today?” Alec asked, coming up behind her.

“With my mom at the community pool,” Marla said. “She’s learning to swim. I took her for a couple of hours yesterday. She loves the beach, too, but we don’t get out there as much.”

“How’s she doing?”

Marla stopped and dropped a plump tomato into the bucket she’d been carrying up the row. “She’s getting better.” She took off her gloves for a minute. “We’re slowly introducing her to more people.” At the look of regret in his eyes, she added, “And Alec, we’ve talked to her about you and shown her pictures of you.”

Like the photo Marla had seen recently in the
Millbrook Messenger
. The local paper had highlighted the Caldwell Foundation and the opening of the service dog training facility. The gala was the talk of the town, which the article highlighted, and there had been a photo of Alec in front of the facility, a smile on his face. A beautiful smile that hid his scar and showcased his enthusiasm for this project.

That smile dimmed now. “How does she react when you mention me?”

“She’s getting used to the idea of you being one of the good guys.”

He lowered his head, his gaze holding hers. “I want to be one of the good guys,” he said as his breath caught. “I miss you, Marla.”

Marla’s heart slipped and slid back into place. “I miss you, too. I think we lost something when we moved too fast.”

“Yeah, we lost us. Our friendship, our talks, our meals together. Just being with each other. I miss your smile, and I really miss your cupcakes.”

She slapped at his arm with one of her gloves. “You have an open invitation for free cupcakes. Just come by and see me anytime.”

“I might do that.” He started tugging at vines and weeds. “I know you’ve got everything in order regarding the desserts for the gala, but—”

“I’ll deliver them a couple of hours before the event,” she said, her stomach roiling with apprehension. What if she messed up on this? “I want everything to be fresh.”

“I know, and I appreciate that, but—”

“Hey, break time!”

Alec let out a groan and turned to see Dipsey waving to them. “I don’t need a break.”

Marla wondered why he seemed so irritated. “Are you upset that we’ve been talking you up to Gabby?”

He leaned on his hoe and stared into her eyes. “No. I’m aggravated because I’ve been trying to ask you if you’d be my date for the gala and I get interrupted at every turn.”

Marla’s pulse stopped and then sputtered back into a fast rhythm. “You want me to what?”

“I want y’all to come and get some lemonade,” her dad said from right behind her.

Marla turned so fast, she almost tripped over her tomato bucket. Alec caught her and drew her close. The scent of something spicy and rich merged with good, honest sweat. Marla resisted the urge to reach up and touch his forehead.

He gave her a direct stare that held a hint of a plea. “Can we go somewhere later and talk—just talk?”

“Absolutely,” she said, her face inches from his. “And I’ll make sure I wash the tomato smell off before we do.”

“I love tomatoes,” he said before he released her.

“I think you two need some lemonade,” her dad said with a smile.

* * *

“Mom, I won’t be too late getting back.”

“Take your time,” Mom said with her usual calm. “Your dad is off with his friends, watching a baseball game. So I will enjoy the company of Miss Gabby here.”

“I get to spend all day with Memaw,” Gabby pointed out. “Even the dark parts.”

“Yes, even the dark parts,” Mom said on a giggle. “We’ll read books and watch princess movies and eat too much popcorn.”

“Thank you,” Marla said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Mom said. “Stop worrying.”

Marla left to go back to her apartment to get cleaned up. It wasn’t every weekend she asked her mom to keep Gabby extra time, so why did she feel so guilty?

Because each time she left her little girl, she remembered the one day she’d been unable to pick up Gabby. The day her husband had died and her daughter had been traumatized.

How will I ever get over that day, Lord?

Thoughts of Alec came into her head. He wanted her to go to the gala as his date.
The gala
. Just thinking about all those fancy, glamorous patrons mixing and mingling scared her silly.

Not to mention being with Alec that night. How could she say yes? How could she say no?

When she’d mentioned it to her mother, Joyce had clapped her hands with glee. “Go, honey. It’s not often a girl gets to be Cinderella.”

“But what will I do when the clock strikes midnight, Mom?”

“Hold on to your shoes,” Mom retorted with a grin.

Then her mother had insisted that yes, she should meet Alec tonight to discuss this further. Joyce Reynolds, ever the romantic matchmaker.

But Marla did want to see Alec tonight. And that was probably where her guilt hit her the hardest. Guilt over her husband’s death. Guilt over their troubled marriage. Guilt over her daughter’s fragility. And guilt over being attracted to a man who scared her in ways she’d never imagined.

But, amazingly, Gabby hadn’t cringed or pouted at the mention of his name.

Marla had approached the subject with her daughter. “So, Mommy’s going to go out to dinner with Mr. Alec tonight. You know him now, right?”

“The man in the newspaper?”

“Yes, that man.”

“He likes dogs,” Gabby said, Barky close to her on the couch. “I like dogs, too.”

“He sure does. He’s going to help place some special dogs with some people who need help.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yes, he’s a good man. He even told me he could find a puppy for us. For you to have as your very own.”

“Memaw likes him a lot.” Gabby held Barky close again. “I like puppies, Mommy. Will he bring me one?”

“Yes, he can bring you one. But I don’t want you to be upset or afraid of Mr. Alec. Maybe one day you can meet him again.”

“Maybe. And I can meet my puppy, too.”

Now Marla thanked God for that one small bit of progress.

She hurried into the shower and got dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved T-shirt. Casual. This was a casual date.

After drying her hair, she left it down and touched some pink gloss to her lips.

When she heard the knock at the door, she took a calming breath. This might be their first official date so she wanted to enjoy it.

What would it be like if she went with him to the gala?

What would that mean, being seen with him in front of the whole town? It could open up a whole new world, or it could turn out to be a world of hurt.

Marla opened the door and took in the sight of him. He wore a T-shirt and jeans, too. And a sweet smile.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” She waved him inside.

“You look nice.” His gaze moved from her to the small living room and kitchen. “I like this apartment.”

Marla glanced around at the mismatched, secondhand furniture her mom had helped her refurbish. Her place was sparse but colorful and she had a nice view of the canal that merged with the river and the lake. “Thanks. It works for now.”

He stood with his hands in the pocket of his jeans. “Are you ready to go?”

“Sure.” She grabbed her purse.

Alec opened the door for her but stopped and shut it again. “Marla?”

“What?” Had he changed his mind?

“Just this.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his hands pulling through her hair.

He lifted his head and feathered tiny kisses down her cheekbone. “I...I needed to do that. I needed to kiss you.”

“Okay.” She swallowed and tried to find her balance again. This felt perfect, being in his arms. “All right.”

“All right, good? Or all right, bad?”

“Good,” she managed to say on a husky whisper.

He kissed her again. “Good,” he repeated. Then with a peck on her forehead, he took her hand and hauled her out the door. “We’ve moved beyond friendship, Marla.”

“I can live with that,” she said.

She wanted to live with that. If only Gabby would be able to do the same.

Chapter Nineteen

M
arla’s heartbeat had accelerated a couple of beats with each shift of the gears of the sports car. They were headed away from town, out toward the big bay. Alec had the top down but he took his time, allowing the wind to play across Marla’s skin and lift her hair out behind her. Since she was still reeling from that kiss, the warm wind cooled her and helped clear her head.

“Where are we going?” she asked, anticipation moving through her as they zoomed along the road that followed the river.

He maneuvered a curve with ease and glanced over at her. “It’s a surprise.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Do you like surprises?”

“Sometimes.” She thought of the horror of finding her husband shot and her child with a frightened salesclerk. “I like the good kind.”

“This is the good kind.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it.

His touch shot through Marla with a reassuring strength. “I thought maybe you were kidnapping me. That maybe you’re really a pirate with a big ship waiting out beyond the shoreline.”

“You have a vivid imagination.”

Yes, but he hadn’t argued about the pirate part. And she wasn’t exactly refusing to go with him.

“It’s a nice night,” she said, hoping to draw him out more.

“Yes. A perfect night for a picnic.”

“A picnic?” She glanced around. “This car is too small to hold a picnic basket.”

He grinned at that comment. “It has a nice trunk.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t thought of that. What did she know about fancy convertibles?

“Where are we going for this picnic?”

“To a special place.”

“And do you take everyone to this place?”

“No. I’ve never brought a woman there.”

“Is this your camp, Alec?”

“It’s not just my camp, but yes. Well—we won’t go to the house, but we’ll be near the camp house.”

“So I’m not allowed to venture into your man cave?”

“No girls allowed. But, trust me, you don’t want to go in there. It’s not fit for feminine eyes.”

She laughed into the wind. “Okay, then. A picnic near your camp house. I’m intrigued.”

“I think you’ll like it.”

When he pulled up to the square house built high on thick round pilings, she could see Millbrook Bay shimmering out in the distance.

“I haven’t been out to this bay in a while,” she said. “With work and trying to spend time with Gabby, I don’t get to see much of the big water around Millbrook.”

“Well, tonight you’ll get to do just that.” He pointed up. “Look at that moon.”

The full moon hung like a giant pearl up in the sky. It cast a luminous creamy glow across the dark water.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. She opened her door to get out but Alec was right there to help her, his hand holding hers in a warm embrace.

Marla chatted to hide her jumbled nerves. “So what did you bring for us to eat on this moonlight picnic?”

He laughed at that and hit a button on the key fob to open the trunk. “Honestly, Aunt Hattie insisted on preparing and packing the food. She was appalled that I’d planned peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and boxed cookies.”

“Sounds exactly like what I’m used to,” Marla said, thinking how adorable he would look making a sandwich.

Adorable and too close to the perfect image of a loving husband and father. A shard of longing shot through her, its glistening heat matching the moon’s glow over the water.

He lifted a small straw basket and what looked like a blanket. “Well, I guess my genteel aunt thought better of that notion. Aunt Hattie wouldn’t want us to have an ordinary, everyday picnic.”

Marla took his free hand and together they walked past the house and down to a dock out over the water. The bay’s gentle waves lapped at the shore with a soft cadence. The night wind lifted over them, balmy and quiet. Somewhere along the shoreline, a bird called out.

“Now what?” she asked, afraid she’d wake up from a nice dream.

He set down the basket. “Well, here’s our picnic blanket. So we won’t get splinters.” He spread the colorful quilt across the weathered planks. “I think my aunt even packed bug spray, in case the mosquitoes want to join us.”

“Your Aunt Hattie is such a thoughtful person,” Marla said. “She’s kind to everyone she meets.”

“We could all take a lesson from that.”

Marla helped him spread the quilt. Then he took her hand and they sat down with their backs against a built-in bench.

She noticed when he winced. “We can sit on the bench if it bothers your leg, Alec.”

“It’s okay. I’m sore from all that work your dad put me through.” He grinned over at her. “It’s more my back than my leg.”

“Thank you for helping,” she said. “The garden looks great now. He’ll till it and get it ready for the fall planting.”

“I think I got volunteered to help with that, too.”

He opened the basket and started pulling out carefully wrapped food. “Oh, I love you, Aunt Hattie.”

Hearing Alec says those words stirred Marla’s heart with a bittersweet twist. “What did she send with you?”

“Her honey-baked ham. I mean, she knows me so well. She cooks it every few months or so and she knows I love a good ham sandwich with this particular ham. And she put Swiss cheese on here, too. With tomatoes from your dad’s garden.”

“A feast.” Marla lost her heart over a ham sandwich.

“And fresh strawberry lemonade.”

“I’m a blessed woman.”

He laughed and brought out two cups so he could pour from the big flower-embossed thermos. “I think she also packed two slices of zucchini bread. She believes in something healthy at every meal.”

“So do I,” Marla said between bites of her sandwich. “Since I live with sweets all the time, I have to be careful.”

“You look great to me, but I want you healthy, too.”

He’d said that in such a way that it suggested a permanent relationship. Marla finished her sandwich and sat back to break off chunks of the moist bread. “Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet with emotion.

Alec sat back, too, and stretched his wounded leg out in front of him. “You never answered me this afternoon. So let me do this again.” He turned to her and smiled. “Will you attend the gala with me?”

Every instinct told Marla to say no. But her heart shouted to her that if she turned him down, she might lose Alec forever.

She’d been ready to take the next step. To move into a relationship with him. But the thought of stepping out into such a broad spotlight, with just about everyone in town seeing them together, caused her to panic. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that kind of exposure. Why couldn’t she do as she’d decided and turn this over to God?

“Marla?” He shifted to face her, one hand touching on her cheekbone. “I want you to be there—out front, and not just behind-the-scenes.”

“Some people are meant to stay behind-the-scenes.”

“Is that why you’re being so hesitant? Are you afraid of crowds? Or just afraid of being with me?”

“I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you,” she said. There, that was out in the open. The source of all her doubts and fears.

His hand stilled on her cheek. “How could you ever disappoint me?”

“Alec, look at me. I’m not like...that beautiful blonde I saw you with when you first looked at the place. I’m just plain ol’ Marla Hamilton.”

“You’re more than that,” he said. “Marla, you run your own business and take care of a very special little girl. You work hard and you’re one of those kind people, like my Aunt Hattie. I could see that the first time I met you.” He shook his head. “Don’t compare yourself to Annabelle or anyone else.”

Hot tears pricked at her eyes. “But what if I don’t fit in? I tried to fit into my husband’s world and I felt as if I always fell short. I don’t want to lose you because we have such different lifestyles.”

“This isn’t about a lifestyle,” Alec said, a trace of frustration coloring his words. “This is about us, you and me, here right now, and how we feel about each other. Forget the rest of it.”

“But there is more,” she said, her heart hurting while she poured out her worst fears. “What if...I fall for you, but Gabby can’t accept you in my life? I saw how hurt you were that night she woke up and saw you. I won’t put you through that, Alec. It’s not fair.”

“None of this is fair,” he retorted. “But we have to trust in God. We have to start somewhere.”

Marla knew he was right. “I’ve wanted to tell you so many times that I’ve finally seen that. That I have to ask for God’s help and grace in this. He can fix what I can’t fix but...”

“But you’re still afraid to let go and see this through?”

She bobbed her head. “I thought I was ready. And I am ready to trust you and to work toward bringing you and Gabby together.”

“But not yet,” he said, one arm thrown over his bent knee. “Not enough to go public with me and stand by me when I need someone there the most.”

Heartbroken, Marla realized that Alec needed her with him. That he’d found a way to get past his own scars to trust her. Why couldn’t she make this final step toward what she wanted with all of her heart? Toward the one person that God had brought into her life for a purpose?

When she didn’t respond, Alec stood and lifted her up. He sat on the bench with her, pain coloring his eyes. “I guess that’s a no, then.”

“Alec, I—”

“It’s okay,” he said, reaching down to put away the remains of their meal. “I understand—really, I do.”

But she could tell he didn’t understand and Marla knew by the way he became quiet and distant, that it was too late to tell him she’d go with him. Because he needed her there.

“Alec?”

“Don’t say anything.” He rolled up the quilt and tucked it under his arm. “I know all the reasons, but that doesn’t mean I have to accept them.”

With that, he guided her back to the car, put away the picnic basket and silently got in on the driver’s side.

Marla wanted to scream into the night. Why did this have to be so difficult? Why was she letting the best man she’d ever known slip out of her life?

Because she knew she’d either lose him now when they were still struggling or she’d lose him later. When it would hurt much worse. How could she blame Alec for walking away? She’d hurt him with her excuses and her own fears. Would she wind up hurting him over and over if they took things to the next level?

Marla wanted to stop making excuses but she couldn’t take the next step with Alec. Not yet. Not until her heart caught up with her head and she knew she could finally love again. Just like her little girl, she was holding back out of fear and dread.

How could she ever make him see that she wanted to be there by his side? Not just for a night, but for a lifetime and beyond.